Those Folks Whining about True Blood… I’m Not With Them….

Once again, I find myself in a position where it becomes hard to take some folks that call themselves “Witches” seriously. Now, be aware that as well as a magician, I refer to myself as a witch due to my spirituality. I’m also aware that the word “witch” has a long history that doesn’t always reflect the beliefs of modern-day witchcraft.

Now, I’ve not seen the fourth season of True Blood yet, so I’ve yet to see how it’s pulled off, but I really don’t see what the fuss is about when you look at witchcraft outside of the current neopagan, usually Wiccan inspired (whether some witches will admit it or not!) representation of it. One witch, by the name of Taarna RavenHawk had this to say:

“When Marnie gives up her ‘power within,’ which is a witch’s ability to practice the craft without harming others, it allows possession by Antonia who becomes the controlling entity. Marnie lets it happen. It’s unconscionable a witch would act this way.”

Well Taarna, have I got news for you!

It ain’t necessarily so!

Not all witches work with the “Harm none” ethic. I don’t. I’m not saying that I go out of my way to hex people, but if I thought that a situation called for it, you’d better believe that curses to render someone poor, ill and unable to attract anything but bad luck would be thrown, as well as a good ol’ fashioned kick in the junk. The “harming none” thing is a Wiccan concept that leaked out into contemporary neopaganism, but is far from a standard thing as far as witches around the world are concerned, which brings me to another thing…

The word “witch” has meant a lot of things over the centuries. Everything from a religious path to a non-human supernatural creature similar to a vampire. No matter what folks would like to believe, the word “witch” is not owned by any one person or group, so I find it interesting that there are people actually getting up in arms about this as if this reflects on them. It doesn’t.

Another witch, this one by the name of Moon, had this to say concerning the attraction to witchcraft to teenagers:

“Since the new season of ‘True Blood’ began, I’ve seen an increase in new members who are in their teens and may be easily impressed by Marnie’s display of power. It’s dangerous when viewers think witchcraft, as Marnie does it, is so easy. For this reason she’s a bad example.”

I have to ask: A bad example of what?!!!

Ladies and gents, I don’t know why I’m the one that has to say this, but here it is: TRUE BLOOD IS NOT REALITY.

It is a fictional series based in a universe where vampires, werewolves and various other supernatural creatures are running around the place. As far as witches go, in the True Blood universe, stuff is going to be sensationalised. It’s not meant to be realistic.

As far as the depiction of witchcraft being dangerous goes, if people hurt themselves due to something they saw on True Blood, then I’m sorry but that’s not True Blood’s fault. After all, True Blood didn’t create Darwinism. I’d also like to point out that while some teens might possibly be among some of the dumbest creatures on earth, treating the rest of them as if they all are isn’t helping them in any way shape or form.

Anyone genuinely interested in witchcraft, either as folk practice or as a religious one will be able to explore it without resorting to television to do so. There are more than enough sources of information to do so, so let’s stop pretending that teens are morons and move the hell on.

I think that there is something that a lot of people that are complaining need to remember:

True Blood is a fictional series and has no obligation, moral or otherwise, to represent Wicca or any other spiritual practice in a factual manner.

One more question that I’d like to ask people is this: How many of the folks out there stood up and decried True Blood when they openly parodied fundamentalist Christianity, Westboro Baptist in particular, with the Fellowship of the Sun. There wasn’t even a murmur. It’s like the Christians somehow knew that it was fiction…..